Fungi associated to corn seeds under storage conditions

Abstract

During storage, several kinds of fungi can remain associated to corn seeds, either causing their deterioration or simply remaining viable to infect germinating seedlings. The objective of this work was to evaluate the survival of fungi in corn seeds stored for twelve months in a cold chamber (14°C and 40% RH) or stored under uncontrolled conditions. A larger frequency of Alternaria alternata, Bipolaris maydis, Cephalosporium acremonium, Cladosporium herbarum, Fusarium moniliforme, Rhizoctonia solani, Rhizopus spp. and Trichoderma spp. occurred in the cold condition. The survival decreased with the storage period mainly under uncontrolled atmosphere as compared to the cold environment. The incidence of Aspergillus and Penicillium increased with the storage, mainly under the uncontrolled ambient. Fusarium moniliforme, on the other hand, decreased sharply under ambiental conditions at the end of the period. In the cold chamber, the F. moniliforme viability was less affected. Bipolaris maydis remained viable in most of the seed lots during the entire storage period in the cold chamber. Under uncontrolled conditions, this fungus survived for four to twelve months, depending on the lot studied. The seed storage under uncontrolled ambient may reduce the inoculum of F. moniliforme and other important fungi for the maize crop, but this condition may accelerate seed deterioration. In the cold condition, otherwise, the ambient is favorable to preserve the physiological quality of the seeds, but the maintenance of fungi viability may reduce their sanitary quality.